Category: Audio

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It was 19 years ago today

… that Mr Kirkup told the band to play.

The DoofersDecember 6th, 1987 could well have been one of the big defining moments for the UK music industry, but it turned out to be just the day when The Doofers, undoubtedly the biggest thing in the Sedbergh School music scene that year, travelled to the Lindens studio in Rosgill, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

We were so green, but just full of youthful confidence, and recorded two songs (pretty much live, with singing over-dubbed after). The recording sounds very dated now, as does most stuff from 1987, but I’m just so glad we did it. What a day to remember. We were glowing when we got back witht the tape to play our friends.
More Than You Ask For (MP3, 3.3mb) was my favourite of the time because it was a bit more up my rocky street, but Happiness (MP3 2.2mb) stands the test of time as the stronger song.

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HB01 – a new piece of music

I hardly ever get time to do anything musical these days but I had occasion to try out a new microphone. Rather than sing or play the guitar, I was just messing about and came up with some percussive sounds that I used to form the human beatbox in this new (very experimental) track. I’m not taking it any further than this because I enjoyed the discipline of making something in less than an hour; it’s fresh enough to be rough around the edges, but sounds good enough to leave it be!

The synth bass and ‘pads’ are done on the Moog synth and the other pad sound is a recording of ambient sounds in the London Underground that I made a few years ago.

Click here to listen to it in MP3 format, 1 min 59 sec

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Pulling the plug out.

PlasticineI’ve rung a few changes recently and slimmed down the audio effects and gear that I own. I hardly ever play any gigs any more so it was a bit of a luxury owning expensive guitar effects. Having sold some stuff on ebay, I treated myself to the only real studio essential in this day of computer recording, a compressor.

Without going into any more technical stuff, compression helps get a much warmer and more natural sound on acoustic guitars and on vocals that can often sound hollow and false on ‘dry’ digital recordings. I had a quick mess about with it at the weekend and pretty quickly recorded an acoustic version of Plasticine, a fairly recent song.

Have a listen…. Plasticine (acoustic)

Comments always appreciated.
Oh, and the ‘original’ version’s here if you missed it.

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Podcast: Heart Racing

Heart Racing is the new tune I’ve put together after – literally – about a year of dithering about. We’ve been so busy on the house in the last couple of years that music has really taken a back seat.

Heart Racing (mp3)

NOW UPDATED – 04 October 2006 – thanks for your feedback – I’ve upped the vocals a bit and knocked back the snare drum for an altogether better mix! Link now goes to the re-mastered version.

Click more below for lyrics.
Continue reading “Podcast: Heart Racing”

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Tune: “Forget all this occurred”.

Forget all this occurred is my latest tune that has been in the making on and off for 18 months or so.

I never got round to having a good sit down and finishing it off, but I’ve sort of done here. It’s hosted on ACIDplanet.com and you can listen in slightly lower bitrate WMA format or join Acidplanet for free and download it as a full blown shiny MP3.

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CD: Metamusic 2004

MetamusicWith ten more tunes as slack as an old man’s pants, Minnellium have peeled back the layers, rolled back the years, and found their feet in the sounds of yesteryear. Some analogue synths, some more of the classic organ and electric piano, and even a few horns. But don’t worry – there’s still enough abrasive beats to sand the floorboards of a larger than average victorian semi.

Best enjoyed with some chilled meal and a nice plate of wine.

It’s still my favourite album I’ve done and think that all the tracks ork well together – less electric and more eclectic Continue reading “CD: Metamusic 2004”

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CD: “Living with the Pond Life”

Living with the pond life
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After a long break, the fouth collection of Minnellium tunes comes just in time to avert the US war against Iraq and the other countries who are members of the ‘axis of evil’. President George Bush the second of the United States of America is believed to have said that this music is the only chance of world peace. Tony Blair then added that world peace is possible and that this album is the only chance of it.

Gone are the days when Minnellium have collaborated with other artists. For a change, very little on this fourth album has been stolen under the guise of sampling. Well, apart from a whole track from Frou Frou remixed by the minnellial hands themselves.

Downbeat and a times down-right lazy.

12 tunes which would sit as easily in the ‘dining room’ category as ‘lounge’ are held together by a plastic compact disc which is housed in a free case. Continue reading “CD: “Living with the Pond Life””

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CD: “The Great Egg Race” (2001)

cd_egg.jpgThe third album is always a tricky one to pull off. But the plucky lads at minnellium have managed it with calm assurance.
At least as strongly themed as “Comfy”, “The Great Egg Race” scores over its older cousin in the variety of influence and variety of input used. The work of other contributors has been folded in to the mix effortlessly.
Featuring for the first time, some bass by Richard Hannaford and some Harmonica from Phil Haygarth.

‘Minnellium found a bucket load more freshness and spontaneity from working with other people and sparking ideas’
Whether the other people concerned agree is not known. Continue reading “CD: “The Great Egg Race” (2001)”